


A warmth in my heart, a warmth in your soul.

by stxrdrifter



Series: And In Every Time, In Every World, May I Fall Again [1]
Category: Persona 5, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alrest, Alternate Universe - Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Blade!Ann Takamaki, Driver!Makoto Niijima, F/F, May include XBC2 spoilers, Special Inquisitor!Makoto Niijima, Takes place a very very very long time before the events of XBC2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29346288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stxrdrifter/pseuds/stxrdrifter
Summary: Special Inquisitor Makoto Niijima was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most well travelled person in all of Alrest. She’d seen everywhere, from the great Praetorium of Indol to the hollow carcass of Morytha to the towering city of Omrantha. She’d seen it all in her travels, whether as an Indoline special envoy or as the Ardainian Special Inquisitor or just as a traveler.But none of the beautiful world of Alrest would have been as beautiful without Célestine by her side.Xenoblade Chronicles 2 AU - Takes place approximately A Lot before XBC2 and TTGC.
Relationships: Niijima Makoto/Takamaki Ann
Series: And In Every Time, In Every World, May I Fall Again [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155605
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	A warmth in my heart, a warmth in your soul.

Special Inquisitor Makoto Niijima was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most well travelled person in all of Alrest. She’d seen everywhere, from the great Praetorium of Indol to the hollow carcass of Morytha to the towering city of Omrantha. She’d seen it all in her travels, whether as an Indoline special envoy or as the Ardainian Special Inquisitor or just as a traveler.

But none of the beautiful world of Alrest would have been as beautiful without Célestine by her side.

Célestine, her blade since she turned twenty, and her companion through her adventures ever since. They’d been partners for seven years, hardly ever separating unless absolutely necessary. Makoto may have been incredibly composed, uptight, serious, and intelligent whenever she was about and with anyone, but the moments she spent alone with Célestine she spent laughing, crying, telling silly stories and smiling until her cheeks were sore. She had conversations about the meaning of life, about where children come from, about the diverse species throughout the titans, about everything. With Célestine, Special Inquisitor Niijima became just Makoto.

And Célestine became Ann Takamaki.

Ann insisted that Makoto give her a name, one like hers. Originally, Makoto looked to her long golden hair, the burning red armor she wore to battle, the disastrous sword she gave Makoto to wield, but all of that felt artificial. Something about “Xanthe” felt wrong to her.

Ann enjoyed Apricots and Cinnamon Rolls. She loved heights, the grandiose view one could see from the docks of Indol and the tower peaks of Omrantha. 杏 (Ann) 高 (Taka) 巻 (Maki). Ann Takamaki. 

And of course, when Makoto first gave her the name, she fell in love with it immediately. She shouted her own name, echoing through the Urayan caverns and definitely alerting any nearby predators, but Makoto could only laugh at the pure joy Ann showed. It was beautiful, just how happy she could be.

And of course, Makoto fell in love with her. And of course, her heart broke immediately when she did.

Makoto knew well the great sin of loving a blade. Not just loving a blade, but loving another  _ woman _ . Not only these things, but Makoto knew well that when she died, Ann would live on in another life. She would forget Makoto, and their memories together would be lost forever as Ann is reset back to Célestine. 

But still, her heart yearned. 

Makoto cried many nights when Ann couldn’t see. She screamed into her pillows when Ann was away. She wanted Ann so bad, but knew so well that she could not, under any circumstances, have her. Her travels through Gormott and through Uraya, seeing weddings she as an Ardanian could not have, ripped her heart apart. She cursed her Ardanian blood and nearly threw away her family name before she brought herself to her senses.

Still, Ann made her smile. Still, Ann made her cry. Stll, Ann made her yearn.

“Does it scare you that I’m going to outlive you?” Ann said one night. The casualness of it, punctuated with her tossing a grape in her mouth and laying on her side in the laziest way, stung just that little bit more.

But of course, Makoto could not tell a lie. “Yes, Ann. It does. You’re… you’re my best friend, and it terrifies me that our memories together are going to disappear once I die.” Makoto pulled her legs onto the bed and crossed them so she could sit upright facing Ann.

Ann passed Makoto a grape. Makoto took it. Ann's lips curled into a frown as she continued, “Yeah… same here. I’m just so scared of you dying.” 

The inquisitor felt tears welling up behind her eyes, but she stayed strong. “If it’s any consolation, I’m scared to die. I don’t want to lose you.”

And Ann laughed. “My lady, that is by far the sappiest thing you’ve ever said.”

And Makoto blushed. “M-maybe so! But you just called me ‘my lady’ as if we’re in front of an audience, so… ha.” Makoto tried to be serious, but the look of her blade trying desperately not to laugh at Makoto’s disastrous comeback wasn’t helpful.

Only a few seconds before they both broke out into giggling fits, joyful tears down their cheeks. “That was awful,” Ann commented as she caught her breath.

“I think we should be quiet, Ann. There are probably neighbors, you know.” Makoto pointed to the walls, likely thin and nowhere near soundproof and weathered with the age of the Leftherian inn. The windows creaked as the rain and winds brushed against them. 

The blade tossed another grape in her open mouth. “It’s late, they’ve gotta be asleep!” She mumbled through her chewing.

Makoto’s face scrunched into something awful and disgusted. “Please don’t talk with your mouth full, Célestine. It’s quite rude.”

Ann smiled something coy. “Uh oh, pulling out the Célestine, am I in trouble?” She giggled.

And Makoto giggled in return. “Sorry, it’s just gross.”

“Yes,  _ My Lady Niijima _ ,” Ann said in her most mock noble voice, “I will from now on chew with my mouth closed.” She slid off the bed and onto one knee, pulling Makoto’s hand and lightly kissing it. “Will you ever forgive me?”

Makoto, of course, was completely silent. Her face felt suddenly hot, and her breathing felt tense. Butterflies danced in her lungs and her heart.

“Makoto? Are you okay?” Ann looked up at her with worry in her eyes. “D-did I make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry if I did—”

“No! No,” Makoto shouted anxiously. She pulled her hands away from Ann. “Sorry, it was just… it reminded me of something I’ve been trying to forget.” 

And Ann, the kindest soul to ever exist, pulled herself onto the bed and in front of Makoto. She tucked Makoto’s short brown hair behind her ear, softly rubbed her back, held her hands, did everything she’d been doing for years to comfort her driver. “What’s wrong?”

And Makoto, desperately in love with her blade, wanted badly to pull away. She wanted so badly to ruffle her hair, arch her back away from Ann’s hand, pull her hands away and clasp them together so Ann couldn’t grab them. She wanted to reject everything Ann was doing right now and run away from it all, but her body wouldn’t let her. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” Ann peered into Makoto’s wayward eyes and held the contact as best she could. 

Makoto shut her eyes tight. “I just can’t, okay?”

Ann frowned a moment before smiling coy again. “You’ve never kept secrets from me, Niijima. Have you got a  _ crush~ _ ?”

And the driver scowled at her blade. “You think I wouldn’t be so obvious for you to know?” Makoto knew well how well her blade could read her emotions. Still, she’d made it this far without Ann figuring it out. “I do not have a crush.” Makoto tried to keep her voice steady, veering dangerously close to lying to her most trusted ally. Makoto swore an oath that, as Special Inquisitor, she would never lie. For some reason, she dared test the limits of what that meant. 

(After all, she did not have a crush. She was fully, head over heels, in love. There’s a difference, she reasoned.)

Makoto felt her eyes begin to water, trying desperately not to cry. The only thing she truly wanted, truly needed in her life, was within her grasp, and she could not reach out for it. She could see it, taste it, feel it, but her fingers would not bend. Her hand would not grip it, and so it began to fall away.

And she cried. 

“Makoto? Are you okay?” Ann spoke with a frown. Her voice was soft, quiet, gentle. 

Makoto shook her head. “I’m not.” 

And Ann pulled her into a hug. Makoto rested her head in the nook of Ann’s neck, letting her tears stain the blade’s clothing as she wept that she could do nothing more. Ann whispered the quiet reminder that, “It’s okay,” over and over again, and Makoto wanted desperately to scream that it is so absolutely not okay. It will never be okay. Nothing will be okay because she is in love with her blade, Célestine, the legendary Queen of Fire.

Ann pulled herself away, but her hands stayed firm on Makoto’s shoulders. “Look at me.”

And Makoto looked. Ann’s eyes were soft, they were a deep and resonant blue that reminded Makoto of the frosted peaks of Genbu, and they were so beautiful that Makoto wanted nothing more in this moment than to continue to look, to gaze, and to drown in Ann’s eyes. 

“We’re going to get through this, okay?”

But Makoto didn’t respond. She continued to stare. Her gaze shifted to Ann’s rosy cheeks, cheeks that had once been covered in soot and ash from a brutal battle against Tirkin raiders in Alba Cavanich. Her gaze shifted to Ann’s soft lips, lips she’d seen cracked and bruised and bleeding after a battle against a particularly tough group of rogue drivers. Her gaze shifted to Ann’s soft hair, hair she’d once nearly been carried away by in the talons of a Tyrant Lexos, only to be saved by a well aimed blast of flame from Makoto herself. Even bloodied, bruised, burnt, and battered, Ann was still beautiful.

“Makoto?”

Ann was still beautiful even in the darkest tunnels of Morytha and Uraya, in the burning wastes of Temperantia and Mor Ardain, in the clouds above everything atop the wings of Indol. No matter where, no matter how, Ann Takamaki was still beautiful.

“Are you in there?”

And Makoto decided wasn’t going to give her up for anything.

“Hey, are you—mmph!”

The driver leaned forward and met the girl, their lips and teeth crashing together in Makoto’s desperation. She pushed Ann onto her back and climbed on top of her, holding her face in her hands. Ann didn’t move, and Makoto pulled away, fearful she’d just made an absolutely abhorrent mistake.

Ann’s eyes were wide and her mouth agape, but eventually they returned to a lidded smile. “Took you long enough,  _ Madam Inquisitor _ ,” she said with a sly smirk. “You told me a lie.”

“I don’t have a crush on you, Takamaki. I am in  _ love  _ with you, there is a difference.”

Ann shrugged facetiously. “If you say so.” And she wrapped her arms around Makoto’s back and pulled her back in for another kiss. Makoto let her weight shift onto the girl underneath her, trying to absorb as much of Ann’s warmth as she could. 

Time felt like it stood still and raced forwards all at once. Makoto’s mind fogged, her senses numbed, as she hit the high of being held in her lover’s arms, knowing she’s loved in return. They kissed, they laughed, they cuddled. Makoto fell asleep in Ann’s embrace, feeling only content.

She woke up to Ann’s smile, lit softly by the sun streaming in through the thin curtains. “Good morning, dear,” the girl mumbled dreamily.

Makoto never wanted to move again. She wanted to snuggle back against the taller girl’s chest, live in her warmth, and forget about the rest of the world. Unfortunately, as (arguably) one of the most important people in all of Alrest, she had to pull herself out of her sleepy haze. “Good morning, Ann.”

The girl giggled. “What, no cute little nickname for me? After all that?”

Makoto smiled. “Nope. I chose your name, and I’m going to use it forever.” Her eyes lidded and she snuggled closer. Even if she had to be a part of the world, she decided an extra few minutes of cuddling with her lover wouldn’t be so bad. 

Ann made a squeaking noise. “That is the most sappy thing I’ve ever heard.” Makoto looked up at her and thought Ann might actually cry. And then Ann’s snarky smile returned. “I’d still like some kind of cute little name, though.”

Makoto laughed. “Alright, darling. If you so wish.” Ann had a cute factor that Makoto couldn’t ignore, so of course she folded. 

After everything, Makoto couldn’t really say no to Ann anymore.

Makoto could feel Ann grow warmer. Even without seeing her face, she knew it was as pink as a turnip. She giggled to herself. “Who’s the sap now?”

Ann hummed. “Still you, Niijima. You’re the one who was in love with me, after all.” 

Makoto pulled away and glared at Ann, jaw agape in mock offense. “Are you telling me you don’t love me back?”

The girl pulled Makoto into a soft kiss, and Makoto’s eyes fluttered shut. She let herself go, her entire body feeling warm and relaxed in this moment, before Ann separated and the world returned to her. “Does that satisfy you?”

Makoto propped herself up on her elbow to look down at the girl. “I want to hear it in words, my darling.”

And Ann lifted herself for a chaste kiss on Makoto’s nose. “I love you, Makoto Niijima.”

“I love you too, Ann Takamaki.”

And of course, because all things come with a price, Makoto was right: the walls were not soundproof. 

Ann was right to a degree that everyone was asleep the night prior, but the maids the following morning happened to hear their conversations. Makoto didn’t blame her for not keeping her mouth shut; when you have gossip on someone as important as the Ardanian Special Inquisitor, you don’t keep that to yourself. Unfortunately, though, word spread incredibly quickly and somehow made it to Alba Cavanich within the day. 

Makoto found all this out when she got an incredibly angry message from the Ardanian Queen delivered to her as she was boarding her titanship. 

“You’re kidding,” Ann exclaimed on the ride there. “How did they find out?”

Makoto shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably a maid or something. The queen is going to put in an investigation warrant to find out why what she believes are ‘rumors’ are being spread.” The driver leaned against the balcony railing. Ann leaned against the wall opposite her.

“Are you sure you’re okay with them being written off as rumors?” The blonde asked. 

Makoto’s eyes followed the titans below. “I’m not sure.” She turned back to Ann. “Are you okay with this?”

And Ann pouted. “I don’t want to be a secret, Makoto, but I don’t want you to lose everything.”

Makoto stepped forwards and pulled the flamebringer into a hug. “As long as I have you, I’m happy,” she mumbled into Ann’s shoulder.

Ann laughed, her sweet giggles warming Makoto’s heart. “You’re such a sap, you know that?”

And Makoto laughed in turn. “I try my best, my darling.”

The two separated when footsteps became audible from around the corner, footsteps belonging to one of the ship’s crewmen. “Madam Special Inquisitor, your presence is requested in the captain’s quarters.”

“We will be there in a moment,” Makoto replied, but the crewman’s face turned distraught.

“Actually, Madam, it is just your presence. Célestine isn’t welcome, per the Queen’s demand.” 

Makoto’s heart sank, and through the ether, she could feel Ann’s sink as well. She knew what was happening now; Célestine was going to be disposed of. 

“Understood, I will be there in a moment,” Makoto replied sternly. The crewman gave a bow and walked off, leaving the two alone again.

Makoto removed the sword sheath from her belt and passed it back to Ann. “I don’t know what’s about to happen, but don’t be afraid to fight, okay?”

“But what about you?” Ann’s eyes softened, and Makoto wanted so desperately to hold her and tell her everything would be okay.

But she could not lie. “I’m not sure, but I think I’ll be fine. They can’t get rid of me that easily.” She smiled, hoping it would reassure her partner, but it did nothing of the sort. So instead, she leaned in for a kiss, short and sweet. “We can run away if we need to.”

“What about your job? What about Mor Ardain? You’ll be a criminal for that!”

Makoto shook her head. “I’m okay with that, Ann. I’m not going to give you up for anything.”

The two kissed again, and the look in Ann’s eyes only served to shatter Makoto’s heart as she began to walk away. 

“Wait!”

Makoto turned to look at her lover. Ann looked at her desperately, her eyes screaming ‘please don’t go’. “What if I shared my core crystal with you?”

The driver’s eyes widened. “What?! I-is that even possible?”

Ann stepped forwards. “I’ve heard about some drivers and blades doing it in Torna, but there’s only one way to find out, right? That way, if they destroy me, they’ll be destroying you as well. Then you’re safe! They can’t touch us!” 

She wanted so badly to do it, to take her offer, but Makoto knew that the Ardanian government would find a way around it. “We can’t.”

“W-why not?” 

Makoto frowned. “They could just lock you up. Or, they’d just be fine with my death at that point. It’s too risky.”  _ I wish I could, _ she wanted to say.  _ I wish I could do this and live with you forever, until the end of time _ , she wanted so badly to say, but her heart stopped her.

The flamebringer slumped against the wall. “What are we going to do?”

And her driver sighed. “I… I don’t know.” She stepped forwards to hug the blade.

Ann held onto her tightly for the brief moment before they separated, holding each other at the shoulders. Makoto pressed her forehead to Ann’s. “I’ll figure something out, okay?”

Ann looked away. Her eyes shut tightly, a sign Makoto has learned signified her deep thought. Makoto waited the moment, waited for Ann to speak again.

And then Ann’s eyes opened. “You won’t have to.”

And Ann pulled Makoto into a kiss. Both their eyes shut, until Makoto felt something warm, something light wash over her. It started from her cheeks, her arms, and her chest, flowing over the rest of her. Makoto’s eyes shot open and she pulled away from the kiss.

“What are you doing?!” She shouted.

Ann smiled, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. “I’m giving you half of my core crystal.”

Makoto looked down to Ann’s chest in shock, and sure enough, her core crystal was fading away. Teal energy passed between them, until finally Ann’s core crystal was missing half of itself.

And embedded into Makoto’s chest was the other half. 

Makoto pushed the blade away. “Why would you do that?!”

Ann lips curled into a desperate frown. “I’m the jewel of the Ardanian empire, they’re going to want me more than they’ll want you! Now if they try to kill you to get my core crystal, it will kill me too! They can’t touch us now!”

The driver’s jaw fell open in shock. “Are you kidding? Now they’ll just execute us!” The blade’s lips hung open, but Makoto wasn’t going to give her the chance to speak. “Ann, you might have just gotten us both killed!”

“Well I’d rather be dead permanently than be alive without you!” Ann’s eyes shut as she screamed. Tears ran down her face. Her lip trembled. 

Makoto’s heart broke at that moment. Everything was too much. She couldn’t handle it. Her chest started to heave. Her heart raced. 

“Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll figure this out. We can… we can run away.” Makoto grabbed Ann’s hands and looked her in the eye, a solemn note to her voice. “I’m going to get us out of here.”

And hesitantly, she released herself. Makoto wanted nothing more than to stay here, but she needed to go.

“I’ll be back, okay?”

Ann nodded.

Makoto recovered herself before stepping into the Captain’s chambers. A crewman held the telephone out for her, which she took, apologizing for the delay.

“You really kept me waiting, sister,” the voice over the phone said.

“Sorry, one moment—” Makoto pressed the telephone to her shoulder. “I need some privacy. Would you please allow me a moment?”

The crewman nodded and left the chambers silently. “Sae?! What are you doing?”

Her sister—Sae Niijima, High Prosecutor of the Ardanian Empire—laughed on the other side of the phone. “I’m committing a lot of crimes right now to save your ass, so you better thank me later.” 

“B-but what about—”

Sae shushed the driver. “We don’t have long. This line is secured, but I’m sure someone will eventually find out the Queen didn’t  _ actually  _ call.”

Makoto nodded. “Got it. What’s the plan?”

Sae explained that when the Ardanian ship was to dock, she tipped off the authorities that the ship contained large quantities of smuggled goods. Makoto and Ann were to escape in the chaos.

“It seems you like her a lot, sister. Don’t mess this up, alright?”

“I won’t,” Makoto whispered. “Thank you, sis. I hope one day I can pay you back.”

Sae laughed. “Just know, I’m gunning for your job afterwards. Odds are you’ll be banished, maybe a bounty will be put on your head. You’ll want me in charge of that hunt if you want to stay safe.”

“Will I be able to see you? Or even be in Mor Ardain?” Makoto wanted to escape with Ann by her side, but losing her sister was a price she didn’t like the idea of paying.

“Not for a long time,” Sae answered. “Maybe when things die down over here, we’ll be able to see each other again. In the meantime, you get yourself somewhere safe. There’s a dock in the basement of the abandoned factory underneath Alba Cavanich. I’ll have someone meet you there and take you to Gormott. From there, you’re on your own.”

“Thank you, Sae,” Makoto cried. “I love you.”

“I love you too, kiddo.” 

The phone line cut off, leaving Makoto with silence, but no second was wasted. She rushed out of the captain’s quarters and back to the balcony she’d left Ann on.

“Ann! Hey!”

The flamebringer turned around, tears still in her eyes. She pulled Makoto into a tight hug. “What’s going on? Why are you smiling?”

Makoto laughed. “It wasn’t the queen,” she whispered. “It was Sae! She’s got a plan to get us out of here.”

Ann pulled herself away to look Makoto in the eyes, but Makoto was completely serious. “Wh-what?! How?”

Makoto explained everything, from how they’d escape to the fact that Sae was gunning for her job. Ann’s steely, somber expression slowly began to shift to something hopeful. She smiled.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” The flamebringer asked.

Her driver nodded. “We’ve gotta be careful though. If we mess up, it’s over. We just have to make it down to the abandoned factory underneath Alba Cavanich and then we should be home free.”

“Are you sure?” Ann clasped her hands around Makoto’s own. “I mean, are you sure you want to throw away everything? Just for me?”

“For you?” Makoto pulled Ann into a soft kiss, only a few seconds, but she could feel Ann’s palms begin to heat. “Without hesitation, my dear.”

The ship docked. Everything went exactly as expected; The Ardanian military began to investigate the vessel (much to the resistance of the crew), allowing Makoto and Ann the precious seconds they needed to escape. They snuck quietly down into the caverns of the Mor Ardain titan, fighting off predators that sought to ruin their plan.

Makoto had never felt Ann’s flames run so hot. Their ether connection, the power coursing between them, was more than anything she’d ever felt from the flamebringer. 

And so they fought, scorching and slicing their way down into the depths of the abandoned factory, to find a titan ship waiting for them.

“You kept me waiting, didn’t you?”

And, of course, Sae Niijima, High Prosecutor of Mor Ardain.

“Sis!” Makoto threw herself at her sister, pulling her into a tight hug. Ann stood back and watched with a smile, before stealing a quick hug from the prosecutor for herself.

“Miss Niijima, how good to see you,” Ann said politely. “Forgive the intrusion, but—”

“ _ What are you even doing here? _ ” Makoto interjected rather loudly. “What if the Queen finds out?”

Sae laughed. “I assure you, she will not. And if she does, I’m willing to pay the consequences if it means I can see my sister makes it to safety.”

Makoto felt her eyes begin to water. She felt her lip tremble. She felt her cheeks become damp with tears, and she pulled Sae into another hug. 

“Thank you, Sae. I’m going to miss you.”

Sae, however, did not cry. “I’ll miss you too, sister.” She pulled herself away before Makoto could attach herself permanently to the elder Niijima. “Now, you have somewhere to be, don’t you?”

The driver, teary-eyed and completely unwilling to leave her sister behind, nodded before boarding the small titan with Ann.

“And Célestine?” 

Ann looked out at Sae.

“Keep her safe, okay?”

And Ann nodded. “I will!”

The titan departed from the small dock. Makoto and Ann waved at Sae until Sae could no longer be seen, a small speck in the distance. Makoto cried into Ann’s shoulder after that. She cried until no more tears would come, and continued against all odds.

Ann comforted her wordlessly. She knew Makoto needed this, and Makoto would be eternally grateful for it. 

And eventually, night fell. Makoto and Ann laid together in the small cabin atop the titan’s back, Makoto curled closely to Ann’s side. Even with the chilling breeze along the cloud sea, Ann’s fiery soul kept Makoto warm. 

Makoto pressed her fingers to the core crystal in her chest; an inverted triangle, half of a diamond, with the other half embedded into her lover’s chest. 

“What are you thinking about?” Ann would ask.

Makoto hummed. “I’m thinking about what kind of life I want to live in Gormott. I haven’t been there in a while, I wonder what’s changed.”

The flamebringer giggled. “Why do we have to stay in Gormott? Why not Uraya, or maybe Indol? We could run to Tantal even!” 

Makoto sat up and looked down at her lover. “Well, where do you want to go?”

And her lover simply pulled her into a kiss, sweet and loving, before answering, “Anywhere, so long as I’m with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching Chuggaaconroy's playthrough of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and then this suddenly came to my mind and now I will not stop thinking about it.
> 
> Also: The titan was originally going to be hinted to be Azurda, but I changed my mind with that.


End file.
